December 21 - National Crossword Puzzle Day

 

Happy National Crossword Puzzle Day! On December 21, today commemorates the birth of a challenging word game enjoyed by millions around the world.   

The first crossword puzzles were published in England in children’s books and other publications. 

They were simple word games derived from the word squares where letters were arranged in a square so that the words read the same across and down. 

The object of a crossword puzzle is to fill in the white spaces of a grid with the correct words using the clues provided.  

Black spaces separate individual words. The clues to more challenging puzzles read like riddles, making the game more complex. 

Many tout the benefits of crossword puzzles. Not only are they fun, but challenging crossword puzzles may help delay the effects of dementia or sharpen the brain for problem-solving.  

They can also increase vocabulary and even relieve the mind from the day’s stress by focusing on something other than worldly problems. 

HOW TO OBSERVE 

Buy a crossword book or find one online. Enjoy some popcorn while you puzzle your way through your favorite crossword! 

National Day Calendar® also suggests these fun ways to celebrate: 

• • Try completing different types of crossword puzzles like a cipher or a cryptic.  

  • Are you bi-lingual or learning a new language? Consider completing a crossword puzzle in your second language.  
• • Challenge someone to a race. Earn bragging rights for completing your puzzle first. 
• • Try your hand at creating a crossword puzzle. Sometimes forming the clues is more challenging than the puzzle framework.  
• • If you create your own crossword, see if you can fit a loved one’s name into it.  
• • Challenge yourself to complete a puzzle a day. 

Use #CrosswordPuzzleDay to post on social media. 

Educators, check out Week 15 of the National Day Calendar Classroom for a lesson designed for you. 

https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day-calendar-classroom-week-15-december-17-23-2017/ 

HISTORY 

British-born inventor and journalist Arthur Wynne from Liverpool, United Kingdom receives credit as the inventor of the word game we know today. He created what is considered the first known published crossword puzzle.  

The puzzle first appeared in the December 21, 1913, edition of the New York World newspaper. 

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December 21 - National Flashlight Day

 

Happy National Flashlight Day! Today, on the same day as Winter Solstice, reminds any and all of us to turn on some lights during the shortest day of the year. 

Around 1899, the invention of the dry cell and miniature incandescent electric light bulbs made the first battery-powered flashlights possible. 

Today the flashlights that we use are mostly incandescent lamps or light-emitting diodes and run on disposable or rechargeable batteries.  

Still, some are powered by the user turning a crank or shaking the lamp, and some have solar panels to recharge a battery. 

In addition to the well-known, general-purpose hand-held flashlight, other forms have been adapted for particular uses.  

Head or helmet-mounted flashlights designed for miners and campers leave the hands free. Special flashlights provide light underwater and in flammable atmospheres.  

January 10, 1899 – American-British inventor David Misell obtained U.S. Patent No. 617,592, assigned to American Electrical Novelty and Manufacturing Company.  

This electric device designed by Misell was powered by “D” batteries laid front to back in a paper tube with the light bulb and a rough brass reflector at the end. The company donated some of these devices to the New York City police, who responded well to them. 

HOW TO OBSERVE 

Grab a flashlight for the shortest day of the year. Depending on where you live, some parts of the Northern Hemisphere experience darkness long before the solstice. 

We’re looking at you Barrow, Alaska.  

Another place that could use a few flashlights is Tromsø, Norway. 

This city in the northern region is a major cultural hub above the Arctic Circle. It’s famed as a viewing point for colorful Northern Lights that sometime light up the nighttime sky.  

Like Barrow, they also experience no sunlight from November to January.  

This time of no sunlight is called the Polar Night. All of Greenland receives three to four hours of sunlight during that same period as well. 

While all of the Northern Hemisphere sees shorter days, the more northern locations feel the larger impact. Many people will supplement their sunlight with special lights.  

Getting sufficient exercise and staying active help to ward off doldrums. Communities organize festivals and activities to bring people together, too.  

A sense of community is vital to staying connected during the winter months. 

With that said, bring your flashlight during National Flashlight Day and celebrate the Winter Solstice! Longer days are ahead.  

Use #NationalFlashlightDay to post on social media. 

HISTORY 

National Day Calendar® keeps shining a beam of light into the history of this bright idea.  

DATES 
Check back in 2031 for a date change. 

#NationalFlashlightDay 

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